For whom the knell tolls
by TheNineTailed
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki is, to put it bluntly, a loser. Having only the minimal amount of control of chakra to perform basic techniques and no talent for advanced ones isn't helping the matter. The Kyuubi is also rather useless when in the form of a little girl. Oh, but who are we kidding it's Naruto Uzumaki! He'll find some way to power through any adversity. Probably. Hopefully.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Ah, Konohagakure, otherwise known as The Village Hidden in the Leaves. It isn't very hidden being that it is in plain view but let us excuse that little piece of information in favour of it sounding cool.

It is also known as Konoha, one of the Five Great Villages, the birthplace of a certain duckbutt that the author of this manga seems infatuated with...

Wait, what was that last one?

Anyways,

On to the story!

As you all know the Kyuubi attacked said village on the night of October 10th. Huge battle, explosions, people dying, etc. etc. It was honestly a great time. You should've been there.

Unfortunately(?) When the fox appeared it landed on a certain pink-haired banshee, effectively making howler monkeys extinct in the area.

(Translation: I don't like Sakura as a character and I don't want to deal with her)

Nobody knows why the fox decided to waltz into the village and start destroying everything,

it was probably bored or something.

But what does it mean for us? Or rather, our blond-haired protagonist?

Naruto Uzumaki is three years of age on that fateful night. His mother Uzumaki Kushina had just given birth to his younger sister and is combating the Kyuubi along with his father, Namikaze Minato the current Hokage.

The story will begin shortly; please turn off any mobile devices and refrain from talking during the duration.

I'm just kidding. Do whatever you want.

This marks the beginning of the story. Welcome dear readers, to For whom the knell tolls.

October 10th-Year XXX

BOOM!

A nearby building erupted into flames as an energy beam collided with it.

"Minato there's no time! The Kyuubi has almost breached the outside wall!"

A frantic Kushina could be seen trying to speed Minato's process of creating a seal.

"Almost there...a bit more...and it's done!" The triumphant Hokage stood up and showed off his latest creation, scattering aside spare scrolls and ink.

"It is called the Shiki Fuujin," Explained Minato, "It will help us seal the Kyuubi...at a price."

"Well whatever it is it couldn't be that bad, right?" Kushina said, trying to be optimistic.

"We lose our lives. A literal deal with the devil."

Kushina stared at her husband in disbelief. "Okay that kinda sucks. Is there no other option? Think about our children!" Kushina exclaimed,"Who will look after them?"

She was shocked that he would even begin to consider leaving their children orphaned.

"There's no other way. The children are involved as well." replied Minato with a grim look on his face. "The seal requires a medium for the object to be sealed into."

"You couldn't possibly-

"It has to be done!" He interrupted her with a firm tone but with visible grief in his eyes.

Kushina was taken aback by his resolve and eventually resigned herself to this fate.

Sighing deeply, Kushina turned to leave with tears forming in her eyes. "I'll prepare them for the ritual."

《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》

Namikaze Residence-11:34 pm

A three year old Naruto Uzumaki awoke to his mother shaking him lightly. The house was quiet, seemingly undisturbed by the carnage happening elsewhere in the village.

"Ughh just a few more minutes Kaa-san." He mumbled, still drowsy. Kushina then shook him harder, earning a better result.

"Kaa-san it's the middle of the night!" he complained, now fully awake. Upon closer inspection he noticed that she was crying. Naruto looked out the window to see fire and broken houses. Just then, another explosion rocked the house. "Is everything ok? What's going on? Where's Tou-san?"

She didn't want to do it. The mere thought of her precious children being ostracized, shunned even for circumstances they had no control over made her hesitate. They might become outcasts, the black sheep of society. On the other hand, they could very well become powerful and famous wielding the powers of a tailed beast, the best shinobi of this generation even.

Kushina decided to put her trust in the villagers.

That was her final mistake.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I hope you can later forgive me for what I'm about to do."

Then came the darkness.

AN: Sorry about the shorter chapter but I'm sure all of you have read about the "Kyuubi attack" and the whole sealing nonsense no less than 69 times. So as the magnanimous author that I am, I decided to get straight to the point. I have read my fair share of stories, some bad, some worse, and others just magnificent. I do not have much experience writing a story, most of it comes from reading a lot of fanfiction. Kindly point out mistakes if any and provide constructive criticism. If you were not aware, this is my first story. Make of that what you will. Fair warning: this story will be crack-ish at times. There are also subtle references hiding within each chapter. Props to you if you get them.

Onwards to the next installment!

Ja Ne!

*Rides majestically off into the sunset on a pony*


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Humble Beginnings

Disclaimer: You don't own it either.

Six years after Kyuubi attack

Life is relatively peaceful considering the event that had torn the village asunder not long ago. The village itself is faring splendidly as the total loss of shinobi and civilians didn't amount to much.

The mantle of Hokage was once again taken by the Sandaime: Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Now, onto the people we actually care about. Uzumaki Naruto has not been treated well over the years. What did you expect for someone who only held the soul of the Kyuubi? He was not a newborn at the time of the sealing, hence his body was only capable of only containing the soul. Because, reasons.

His sister on the other hand, was treated like royalty.

Uzumaki Natsumi held all of the Bijou's chakra making her "destined for greatness". Or so all the villagers think. The ground she walks on is practically worshiped by civilian and shinobi alike…

"Dang, this story seems pretty cliché so far." Interjected Naruto.

Oh hush, you non-believer be patient.

Now where were we before we were so RUDELY interrupted? The bottom line is, Natsumi is revered whereas Naruto gets the shaft.

Keep in mind that it wasn't always like this. Naruto isn't hated on for shits and giggles (unlike most stories); there is a reason behind the prejudice. Ever since he first entered the academy people have discovered one thing: Naruto isn't capable of performing jutsu properly. The chakra, he has. In spades. It is merely a problem of aptitude.

Naturally word spread like wildfire and thus started the hate; being seen as a burden instead of being a "proper" weapon.

Currently, Naruto is skulking having just failed the Academy Exam, having obviously failed the ninjutsu portion and not faring well on the other subjects.

(Seriously, who cares which old fart won some stupid war?)

"Why doesn't anyone help me?" Naruto asks aloud, "Everyone falls head over heels catering to Natsumi, so why not me? What makes her so special?"

All of this was overheard by Mizuki, who was seeking a gullible victim. Capitalizing on this chance, he launched his spiel. "Hey Naruto, sorry that you failed the exam." He tried to look sympathetic. "I noticed you were sad so I came to tell you about the extra credit."

Despite the fact that the whole situation seemed unusual Naruto couldn't help but be intrigued. "What do you mean by 'extra credit' Mizuki-Sensei?" It was a known fact that Mizuki hated Naruto among many others, so Naruto was skeptical about his sincerity.

"It's simple, all you have to do is 'steal' a specific scroll from the Hokage office and bring it to me. If you can obtain it then you pass!"

Mizuki then handed Naruto a picture of the scroll.

"Why is it called the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing?"

Having not thought out this plan properly, Mizuki racked his brain for a feasible answer.

"Uhh... because it's only used for extra credit tests only? Yeah let's say that."

Desperate as he was, Naruto eventually accepted despite the sketchiness of the overall situation, in hopes of becoming stronger to fulfil his promise to his sister.

Naruto loves his sister dearly as she is his only family who also sees him as a role model. He had promised to protect her when he became a ninja.

Unfortunately, due to Naruto's "special circumstances" (he's weak) Narumi vowed to protect him instead of the other way around.

~Flashback~

"Don't worry Narumi-chan, I'll become the best ninja ever!" Naruto proclaimed, "then I can protect you from anything!"

Narumi occupies a two story house that was rightfully hers after their parents passed away. She relocated there frown the orphanage after getting old enough to live by herself.

But what about Naruto you might ask? Our poor protagonist resides in the aptly named "Forest of Death". Don't ask me how he hasn't died yet. He does so to avoid harassment from the villagers and to keep Narumi from becoming a target.

He visits her regularly to keep her company and help her with everyday things, to her obvious delight.

Constantly having to be alert in the forest has honed Naruto's instincts and strengthened his senses, while fighting the other residents of the forest increased his physical strength.

Seriously, there are like 20 foot bears in there.

Living without parents or just guardians in general is a hard experience, especially at a young age.

The two siblings have since then learned to depend on one another.

Narumi is able to purchase some food and other necessities with the measly allowance given to them by the Hokage.

In order to obtain enough food and some luxuries Naruto practices his "stealth exercise"... which is essentially just him going around Konoha stealing whatever he can.

Equipped with naught but a black cloak Naruto has plundered countless items. Food, clothes, scrolls, furniture (Don't ask how he managed that one), you name it, he's probably stolen it.

Everybody obviously suspects him because of his status, and they're right. They just can't prove it, try as they might.

"Ne, Onii-chan is pretty weak" Narumi had responded to his promise. Upon hearing those words a rain cloud appeared over Naruto's head. "You don't have to be so blunt..." he brooded in the corner as comical tears fell from his eyes. Narumi ran over and embraced her brother in a hug. "When I get older I'll get strong enough for both of us!"

~Flashback end~

"I'll meet you in the woods behind the academy" Mizuki instructed. "Make sure you are not followed. If you get caught then you fail. Other that that, good luck have fun!"

"Who has fun stealing stuff?" Naruto wondered as he left to prepare for the heist. "Well, aside from me of course."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was not an idiot. He wasn't given the title of "Professor" for just sitting around and twiddling his thumbs. His analytical and calculative mind has won him mamy battles and wars in the past. He was nearly unmatched in his prime, a veritable god among shinobi.

Hiruzen has long since learned that to gain something you have to lose something. The villagers are angry about the Kyuubi and want to vent their anger? Very well, let Naruto be a scapegoat. Need to maintain good relations with Kumogakure? Sacrifice a Hyuuga or two. A spy is suspected to be in the village? Let someone expendable bait them out. Namely, Uzumaki Naruto.

Hiruzen has considered all the possible outcomes, even Naruto getting killed. No skin off his Naruto dies, the soul of the bijuu dies along with him. Also the prospect of a spy being captured who is also suspected of having relations with Orochimaru was too good to pass up. Naruto has a chance to die, unfortunate but still worth it in the end.

All these thoughts were running though the head of the third Hokage as he observed the events that transpired between Naruto and Mizuki with his crystal ball.

Said Jinchuriki will steal the scroll. It's all part of Sarutobi Hiruzen's plan.

It was easy. Too easy in fact. Naruto pondered the relative difficulty of obtaining the scroll he currently possessed. Getting inside was simple enough, after that it took him no less than ten minutes to locate the scroll.

Though he possessed the necessary stealth for such a feat, Naruto thought that it was just, too easy! He just broke into one of the most important places in the village for crying out loud! And somehow, no alarms were raised?

Even if it was for the sake of a test, it should've been harder than this.

Deciding not to dwell on it for too long, Naruto started walking towards the location where Mizuki waited.

When he arrived Mizuki was nowhere to be found. "I could've sworn that it was this place" Naruto said out loud. Suddenly he heard a noise and dodged, causing a kunai to bury itself in a tree next to his head.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

Mizuki, being the idiot that he is, comes out of the brush to confront Naruto.

"Give me the scroll brat. Cooperate and your death will be swift."

"No way!" Naruto yelled "you're going to kill me anyway! Why should I listen to you?"

Naruto's mind raced as he tried to think of ways to escape. "Why do you want this scroll anyway? Isn't it just a test scroll?"

Mizuki laughed, "Of course not you idiot! That right there is the Forbidden scroll of Sealing, full of forbidden techniques and village."

At this point Naruto figured out that Anbu should aware of the theft by now and would arrive momentarily. He just needed to stall for time. Meanwhile, Mizuki was still talking. "I was personally selected by Orochimaru himself to spy on Konoha and steal secrets," he bragged. "It wasn't that hard to trick you, though I could've done it myself. I decided to be safe and use someone...expendable."

Naruto was mad about being duped, but he had more pressing matters to deal with. Namely, staying alive. That's pretty important.

Eventually Mizuki stopped monologing in order to get on with his plan. "Alright kid looks like I'm going to have to take it by force" he said brandishing a kunai, intending to end it quickly.

Slightly caught off guard, Naruto backpeddled to gain some distance. A chunin faced off against a genin- nay an academy student. It hardly seems fair and looks as if it would end with only one attack.

Mizuki continued to rush at Naruto who in turn would keep avoiding. "You can't run forever!"

Naruto was well aware of that fact and knew that he would eventually be caught.

Mizuki threw a shuriken and then proceeded to perform handsigns.

"Take this! Ninpo: Shuriken bunshin no jutsu!"

The lone star quickly multiplied into countless shuriken which flew to Naruto at alarming speed. He tried his best to evade all of them but eventually one found its mark on his arm. After being pegged by one projectile, Naruto stumbled from the pain and ended up getting hit a couple more times.

Despite not impacting vital areas, the wounds still stung as they bled even after the shurikens dispersed.

This continued for a while as Mizuki repeatedly fired off shurikens at Naruto who successfully dodged the majority of them.

Finally Naruto stopped which allowed Mizuki to catch up.

"This isn't good, I'm getting tired and my wounds only get worse over time." Naruto thought. "I'll have to trick him with a jutsu. Too bad I suck at those."

Fortunately, Mizuki also appeared to be fatigued from spamming jutsu in rapid succession while running. Months of not training or sparring has taken it's toll on Mizuki and he knew he had to end it soon.

He ran up to Naruto and threw a punch. The two then engaged in a bout of taijutsu. They seemed evenly matched at first. Despite Naruto being younger, less experienced and lacking any form, he constantly fights for his life in the forest of death. On the other hand Mizuki's skills have deteriorated from underuse. Not long after Mizuki managed to get a good hit on Naruto with a feint and sent him sprawling back. Mizuki rushed up to finish him off only to receive a handfull of dirt mixed with rocks and blood to the face. "ARRGG MY EYES! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

Mizuki was temporarily blinded as he brutally kicked Naruto into a tree. A dust cloud emerged from the impact and obscured his body. His vision clearing somewhat, Mizuki observed Naruto lying motionless against the tree.

Still angry about the underhanded attack, Mizuki ran over and raised a kunai to finish him off.

Before he struck he noticed that Naruto looked bit...odd. Along with looking disheveled from the fight his skin looked sickly and his body looked as if it would collapse at the prod of a finger. Before he could realize his blunder, it was already too late.

Sarutobi Hiruzen is pretty smart. I think we've established that. All was going according to his plan. Naruto and Mizuki were under constant scrutiny by his crystal ball; he left once the fight had begun.

All the likely possibilities were already considered by the Sandaime. He did not expect Naruto to triumph over Mizuki obviously, thought it would be more beneficial if Naruto lived. Though if he died it wouldn't be of much consequence.

When the third Hokage had a couple Anbu survey the surroundings but they couldn't find anyone. When they arrived at the scene only Naruto was present, resting against a tree. His clothes were ripped and disheveled while bruises and wounds littered his body. He seemed to be in deep though and didn't notice the newcomers at first.

"Oh, it you Gramps" Naruto rose slightly, "I'm tired as crap from a fight, though you probably know that." He muttered something about 'overpowered crystal balls'.

"Where is Mizuki?"

"He left deeper into the forest when he sensed you coming. He has the scroll."

Upon hearing this Hiruzen cursed. Mizuki was probably long gone. The techniques could be re-documented but the village secrets would definitely come back and haunt him later. While he was thinking on the best course of action, Naruto presented him something bloodied and dented: a head protector. "Old man can I keep this? I mean I did just beat a Chunin."

"I don't see why not." Naruto jumped and yelled in excitement despite his injuries. He put it on despite it's current state. "I guess that makes you a Genin now. Congratulations on graduating from the academy. Go home and rest, we'll discuss this tomorrow."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was rather disappointed and slightly angered by the turn of events. He didn't expect Naruto to live, seeing as his skills are sub-par at best. Also there was no explanation of how Mizuki sensed them as he isn't a sensor.

Smart as he is, Hiruzen didn't expect or plan for Naruto to survive and Mizuki to escape.

So it stands to reason that he definitely wouldn't account for Naruto killing Mizuki and taking the scroll for himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: The next step

We observe Naruto back in the confines of his 'home'. It's pretty much what amounts to a giant hollowed out tree. In his hands is his newest possession: a beaten-up piece of paper. Sorry, a "scroll".

Due to it's state of wear and tear it could easily be mistaken for random garbage, and not as an important part of the village.

Fun fact: the forest of death is protected from any sort of clairvoyance due to it being a crucial part of the chunin exams.

So no more crystal ball b.s.

Naruto was undergoing deep thought and reflection; he did just kill somebody after all, and was now dealing with the ramifications that come with it.

He had performed a quick substitution with a clone after being kicked into the tree. Normally Naruto's crappy Bunshin wouldn't have fooled even a Genin.

Luckily Mizuki was still half blind from when Naruto hucked stuff at his face. "My hands are stained..."

Caught up in thinking, he almost missed the sound of footsteps outside the entrance to his home.

"Who the heck is dumb enough to enter the forest of death?" Naruto had wondered. It wasn't without reason, as even most Chunin hesitate to enter. This was mostly due to the massive amounts of dangerous animals and plant. There was also that rumor about something going around beating everything up and eating them. Not to mention it was also the middle of the night.

Ridiculous theories aside, Naruto prepared for an encounter with someone most likely Jounin rank or higher. The sound was gone; it was quiet. He poked his head out the front door. ..."Hiya Onii-chan!

"GAAHH!" his sister popped up in his face and jumped on him, making them both fall over. They both ended up in a heap on the floor, rubbing their heads where they had bumped each other.

"Mou...that hurt! Onii-chan is a meanie." Narumi pouted.

"YOU'RE the one that jumped on ME!" retorted Naruto, massaging his head. What was her head made of? Titanium?

"What are you even doing here? It's the middle of the night! The forest is a dangerous place! You could get hurt." warned Naruto.

"It's boooring in the house!" She whined. "I woke up and got bored. And I want to play with Onii-chan." she said, hugging him tightly.

Naruto got up and tried to peel his sister off of him. "I'm busy right now." He finally succeeded in getting her off and he walked back into his house, Narumi following close behind. Upon spotting the scroll again, Naruto remembered his current predicament. His face turning grim, he once again sat down on a stump.

Seeing the look on his face Narumi became worried. "Nii-chan what's wrong?" Turning towards his sister, he decided to confide in her, "Narumi, I killed somebody and stole an important scroll from the Hokage."

If she were surprised she definitely didn't show it. Narumi tilted her head slightly, "Was it a bad person?

"Uhh, probably..."

"Then what are you worried about? They deserved it."

Narumi sure knew how to make light of a situation.

"I guess you're right! No sense in brooding over it like an emo person (I'm looking at you duckbutt). But there's still the matter of the scroll." He said after remembering the stolen property he currently held.

Narumi, of course, had a solution for that predicament. "Finders keepers, losers weepers."

Knowing by now that his sister could care less if they were put in danger, Naruto just simply agreed with her. She just wanted more...stuff. Top-secret scrolls containing numerous high level techniques just happen to be more ideal "stuff".

Besides, he stole stuff from people on a regular basis so who is he to talk?

"Have you even looked inside it yet Nii-chan?" Narumi asked with a deadpan expression.

"Not yet, I haven't had the chance to because SOMEBODY decided to jumpscare me!"

Narumi had the decency to look sheepish.

"Well since I'm here we can look it together! See? It all works out."

Surprisingly, the scroll was not locked or sealed in any way.

"Did you hear that?" Naruto could've sworn that he heard a "Ding~".

It was, in fact, a ding for the sin of convenience.

"Meh it probably got broken or something during my fight."

Unrolling the scroll, brother and sister stared at the contents hidden within. The buttload of forbidden techniques were obviously there, but there was...more.

The scroll documents the events leading up to the destruction of Whirlpool country. It stated in frightening clarity the actions of three hidden villages against one sole victim. They could see letters written between Iwagakure, Kumogakure and surprisingly enough, Konohagakure. They all tell of a plot devised by those villages with one goal in mind: eradicate the Village hidden in the Whirlpools. The plot was simple. Kumo and Iwa launches a full-scale assault on Whirlpool, with Konoha secretly supported the attackers. They bypassed the supposedly impassable whirlpools that were augmented by seals and also acted as a natural defence for the village. Passage was granted to "allies", allowing Konoha to easily backstab them. You could imagine their anger at being betrayed.

After weeks of being under siege Whirlpool eventually fell under the might of three hidden villages. The three villages then proceeded to erase any trace of Whirlpool from their history books. Still to this day, nobody knows of Konoha's involvement in the genocide except for their accomplices. And Naruto and Narumi. Can't forget them!

Nowhere does it clearly state the motive to warrant such a war, but mentions of Whirlpool being a threat became prevalent throughout the documents.

It seemed that their reason to attack Whirlpool stemmed from the fact that everyone was afraid of one clan: the Uzumaki. The Uzumaki were infamous for their powerful sealing techniques. Their naturally increased healing factor and longevity made it a royal pain in the butt to actually kill them.

If an Uzumaki were to, say become a jinchuriki, they would be damn near impossible to kill.

That's great news for our protagonist and all, but what isn't so great is the revelation that your entire clan was practically wiped out by a person you've known your whole life.

To say that the siblings were shocked would be like saying the ocean is wet. It just doesn't do it justice.

Naruto got off the floor effectively dumping Narumi out of his lap, to which she pouted slightly. "So let me get this straight. Our only family was killed thanks to the old man who betrayed his allies because he was...scared?"

"I want revenge!" Narumi could look pretty threatening for a ten year old.

Knowing that detecting against an entire hidden village with his current skills wouldn't be the smartest idea, Naruto decided to be the brains of the pair. "We can't exactly do that right now because we're too weak." She deflated somewhat after hearing that. Naruto then wrapped her in a hug to cheer her up. "But don't worry, the Hokage will get what he deserves just you wait. We need to get stronger first, or did you forget your promise?"

"Nuh uh I would never forget! Narumi exclaimed while enjoying the warm embrace.

A week after that late night event Naruto prepared to return to the academy for team placements. It was only for students that passed but he had a head protector now. Sure, the metal was slightly bent, and the fabric was frayed but it still counts right?

Oh, but why should he care? A new chapter is unfolding in his ninja career! He didn't have time to sweat the small stuff.

And so, with that last thought, Naruto set off towards the academy, messed up headband and all.

He got there rather early, early enough for no one else to be there. Naruto plopped into a desk near the back of the room and proceeded to doze off.

When he awoke the room was almost full. He noticed that the people who passed the exam were mostly from prominent clans. People like Hinata, Shikamaru, Shino and Chouji were okay to hang around, but Naruto didn't have many friends if at all. He mostly spent his time training. Then there were people like Ino, Kiba and Sasuke. Ino isn't bad, but she isn't good either. It doesn't help that she's pretty weak. Kiba is constantly hounding (get it?) Sasuke for a fight and always proclaims to be the strongest, despite never winning even once. Not much can be said about Sasuke. What could be said has been said already. He's just your stereotypical anti-social emo avenger thing.

Naruto was disturbed from his musings when somebody finally noticed his presence.

"Hey, Deadlast! I think you made a wrong turn somewhere!" Kiba sauntered up to Naruto, the odor of wet dog wafting over him.

"Who do you think you are? 'Ruto goes where he pleases!"

Kiba walked closer, strengthening the stench. "In case you haven't noticed, this is for people who actually PASSED the exam!" he practically snarled. Kiba values strength above most things, as does most of his clan, so he looks down on Naruto.

"Look at my forehead you scrub."

"BULLSHIT! You probably stole it! Everyone knows that you're the thief going around stealing things!"

"Prove it dog boy."

"Why you little-

"That's enough you two!" Iruka didn't feel like getting a headache first thing in the morning.

"Kiba, Naruto's headband was personally given to him by the Hokage. He is a registered Genin."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Kiba. "Naruto don't antagonise Kiba."

"Awww but it's so easy to rile him up. And he's funny when he's raging. Kiba was about to retaliate but quickly stopped when he saw the glare Iruka was giving him.

"Alright class, first off I would like to congratulate you all for passing the exam and becoming Genin. Before we begin, let's welcome a new student: Sai! He was trained privately and is now joining us for graduation."

Whispers floated around the room as Sai walked in. He was wearing a simple black shirt with one sleeve cut short and black pants. Everyone watched with rapt attention as they tried to determine what kind of person he was. Except for Naruto and Shikamaru. They were asleep, as usual.

"Greetings everyone, you all look weak."

...

After calming the students who were offended by that were offended by that comment, Iruka turned back to Sai, who was still standing there. "That was rather mean don't you think?" Sai's expression remained the same. "Sorry I do not have much practice with interacting with others. I guess this has been a learning experience for all of us." he ended with an obvious fake smile.

Iruka sweatdropped, "Well, go and find a seat. I'll be naming teams soon."

"I hope I'm with Sasuke!" The mere thought of being with Ino crush made her squeal, because...fangirl.

"I'm most likely with Shikamaru and Ino." Chouji was informed by his father about the Ino-Shika-Cho trio that was all the rage last generation.

"I hope I'm with you, Hinata!" She still blushed despite Kiba being a typical horndog.

"Ummm...thanks?"

"Hn™." spoken like a true Uchiha.

Naruto was, you guessed it!, still sleeping. He was up all night after all.

After his customary post-graduation speech concluded, Iruka started calling out names.

"Team 1...(teams 1-5 are irrelevant.) Team 6 is still in circulation from last year, Team 7, Sasuke, Sai and Naruto."

A shout of dismay could be heard from the seats. It was probably Ino.

"Naruto, Naruto?" Iruka finally noticed him sleeping at the back of the room. He threw a blackboard eraser at him for good measure.

Unfortunately(?) Iruka miscalculated the strength needed. Not to mention he also missed. The eraser bounced off the wall, straight into an unsuspecting person's face. Luckily(?) it was no one of importance.

"Sorry, nameless background character!"

"I have a name you know!"

Uhh, no you don't.

Iruka gave up after that failed attempt to discipline his student and instead said "Screw it, he can sleep for all I care."

"Team 8: Shino, Hinata and Kiba."

"Aww yeah! I totally called it!"

You can probably guess who that was.

Hey, it could've been Shino. For all you know, the author could've been creative with his personality.

Unfortunately, that's not the case here.

"Team 9: Chouji, Ino and Shikamaru."

"Ugh, why am I with the fatass and lazyass? That's, like, totally not cool."

Seeing that Shikamaru was also asleep, Iruka made sure not to miss this time.

BOOM! Headshot! Get rekd scrub.

"All right, those are all the teams. I will now take you to meet your jounin sensei. Team 7, you stay here. The rest of the class, follow me."

Most of the class got up and left excited and curious, leaving three left behind.

Sai and Sasuke sat in relative awkward silence as they were left alone. Sasuke was well, Sasuke. Sai wasn't willing to start a conversation either, seeing as he felt that he needed to make more observations.

One hour...two hours...three hours! Three hours had passed and still nothing had happened. Even Sasuke was getting annoyed at this point.

Eventually, Naruto woke up. "Ahh that was a great nap!"

Suddenly, Naruto jumped out of his chair, startling his companions. "Holy Crap! It's so late! And I'm so hungry!" he ran out of the room before anyone could stop him.

A few moments later, a tall, masked jounin stepped into the room. He scanned the room in confusion. "Aren't there supposed to be three of you?"

"He left."

…

"Well, shit."

When Naruto got home, he took off his headband and relaxed in a couch. Don't ask how he managed to steal that. As he placed the headband down, a frayed piece of the metal dug into his hand, drawing blood. He shouted in shock and quickly removed the headband. Drops of blood fell onto the scroll that was tossed carelessly on the ground.

Naruto watched in wonder as the blood caused and intricate seal to appear, resembling a lock in appearance. The liquid was absorbed into the scroll, unlocking the seal.

A/N: Writing a story is harder than i thought T_T. I may go a couple weeks without updating but I will never give up on this story, thats a promise! *cue Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up* See you in the next chapter!


End file.
